A copyright is created the minute you complete a creative work - such as poetry, literature, paintings, movies, video games, plays, sculptures, photographs, architectural designs, choreography, DVDs, videos, recorded music, sheet music.....anything creative. A copyright is automatic. It gives the creator of the work exclusive rights over the work, including the right to reproduce it, distribute it, adapt it, or perform it. And the copyright protects the work from being used in any way by anyone else, without permission from the owner of the copyright.
Although a copyright notice affixed to the work is no longer required to have a copyrighted work, it offers some protection - a notice to others that the work is yours.
If the copyrighted work is used by someone else, or infringed upon, the copyright holder can sue for infringement. In order to sue for infringement, however, you must have your work registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. It is a simple procedure.
For more information on copyrights, you can go to the U.S. Copyright Office's official website:
www.copyright.gov
